Mbappe's 'strong sign' after 'Kylian Saint-Germain' blowout

Stuart Telford

• 9 Apr 2023 12:24 BST
• 3 min read

Kylian Mbappe gave a "strong sign to the team" by playing in Paris Saint-Germain's 2-0 victory over Nice on Saturday according to under fire manager Christophe Galtier.

Mbappe is perennially linked with a transfer to Real Madrid, despite spurning their advances last May to sign a new contract with PSG which made him the game's best paid player until Cristiano Ronaldo's €200 million a year deal with Al-Nassr.

As well as professing to have a strong relationship with Madrid chairman Florentino Perez, Mbappe has also been vocal about his disgruntlement in the French capital, complaining about having to play as a No.9 earlier this season and appearing to take aim at Neymar's off-field behaviour.

READ: 'Not Kylian Saint-Germain!' - Mbappe puts PSG future in doubt with social media attack

Most recently, he took to social media to decry a PSG promotional video that featured the new France captain prominently. "It's not Kylian Saint-Germain," he said.

There were even reports that Mbappe might be replaced by Hugo Ekitike in the starting line-up against Nice, but Galtier played him knowing that a third straight defeat in Ligue 1 - and four from five in all competitions - would be untenable for the club.

Galtier: 'Strong sign for the team'

"Kylian played his 51st or 52nd game tonight," he said. "It's normal that at certain times you feel less well. Yesterday, his training session was short, he was very uncertain. I think he played diminished but he wanted to be on the pitch, to be with the team in a difficult moment.

"It also shows a state of mind, a certain solidarity. He didn't have an easy game, but he also lacked support in his game. But this morning, we didn't know if he was going to be able to start. He had this great desire, this determination to do it. This is a strong sign for the team."

READ: Kylian Mbappe: Goals, assists, results & fixtures in 2022-23

In the event, Mbappe had one of his poorer games in a PSG jersey, drawing a blank and missing an open goal late on. Instead, Lionel Messi stepped up to the plate, scoring one and assisting Sergio Ramos for the other in a 2-0 win.

Both men have uncertain futures at the Parc des Princes, and could be finding themselves on opposite sides of the Clasico divide in the near future with Messi reportedly nearing a return to his spiritual home.